NHTSA Complaint #10522001 — 2005 FORD FOCUS

BEGINNING LAST YEAR, THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE OCCASIONS WHEN I WAS DECELERATING AND THE ENTIRE FRONT END OF THE CAR WOULD BEGIN TO VIBRATE AND THE STEERING WOULD BECOME DIFFICULT TO HANDLE. TOOK THE CAR TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, ASKED ME TO MAKE NOTE OF ROAD CONDITIONS, ETC. TIRES REPLACED SOMETIME IN THE PAST YEAR. ALIGNMENT PERFORMED WITHIN PAST TWO MONTHS. TIRES ARE WEARING IN DIAGONAL PAIRS ODDLY. BLEW FUSE WHICH OPERATED THE AUTOMATIC SAFETY LOCKS, CRUISE CONTROL AND THE LOCKING CONTROL ON TAKING THE CAR OUT OF PARK. CALLED FORD DEALERSHIP, WAS TOLD TO POP SMALL PIECE OF PLASTIC OFF THE SHIFTER DECK AND STICK A SCREW DRIVER IN TO BE ABLE TO SHIFT OUT OF PARK. WAS ALSO TOLD THIS COULD BE A BIG PROBLEM AND TO BRING IT IN. AFTER CHARGING ME $130.00 TO "DIAGNOSE" THE PROBLEM, THEY THEN CHARGED ME $10 TO REPLACE THE FUSE, COULD FIND NO REASON FOR IT TO HAVE BLOWN. THEN TOLD ME MY TRANSMISSION FLUID NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. TOO MANY DOLLARS LATER, I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP. TWO WEEKS LATER, FUSE BLEW AGAIN. TOOK TO INDEPENDENT GARAGE,$ 0.95 FOR THE FUSE AND $30 TO TRY AND FIGURE OUT WHY IT WAS BLOWING OUT, UNSUCCESSFULLY. THE SHIMMY IN THE FRONT END WAS GETTING WORSE AND I WAS DEBATING DEALERSHIP OR INDEPENDENT, DECISION WAS REMOVED FROM MY HANDS WHEN THE FRONT OF THE CAR BEGAN SWERVING TOWARD TRAFFIC IN RUSH HOUR AT 45MPH ON MONDAY NIGHT 6/24/13. SUDDENLY, THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE AND I MANAGED TO WRENCH THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT AND HIT A CURB INSTEAD OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC. FRIEND BEHIND ME WITNESSED INCIDENT AND SAID THE CAR LOOKED LIKE IT JUMPED SIDEWAYS. BOTH RIGHT TIRES OFF RIMS, SHREDDED, UNKNOWN FURTHER DAMAGE AT THIS POINT AS THE SHOP HASN'T HAD A CHANCE TO MAKE AN ASSESSMENT. MY INSURANCE COMPANY IS ALREADY CONSIDERING TOTALING THE CAR OUT. IT HAS 128000 MILES OR SO. I FEEL LIKE I HAVE SIDEWAYS WHIPLASH. NO AIRBAG DEPL. *TR